Transport Management

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Nolan Transportation Group Named to Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s SDCE 100 Top Supply Chain Projects for 2020

Nolan Transportation Group (NTG), a leading third-party logistics provider with nationwide strategic truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions, has won the SDCE 100 Award for 2020 from Supply & Demand Chain Executive. NTG won for a project with Crate & Barrel designed to help them improve their domestic over-the-road supply chain with a strong focus on customer service, responsiveness, shipment visibility and on-time performance.

“The overall goals of this project were to decrease lead time, improve shipment visibility, as well as boost shipment success through on-time delivery performance. These goals were driven by collaborative tracking efforts across multiple teams, dedicated account management, as well as data report implementation, showing lane history and tracking on-time percentage growth,” said Geoff Kelley, President of Nolan Transportation Group. “We are honored to be recognized with this prestigious award for our work with Crate & Barrel in helping them achieve their supply chain goals.”

“Innovation is essential in driving the supply chain industry forward, and thanks to these valuable partnerships, companies of all sizes are able to achieve success in projects that matter,” says Marina Mayer, editor for Supply & Demand Chain Executive. “From business intelligence systems and supply and demand planning to inventory reduction and procurement solutions, the SDCE 100 offers proof-of-concept that with the right planning and execution, anything is possible.”

Within the first 3 months of the project’s inception, NTG increased overall on-time performance over 10% network wide. After conclusion of the first full calendar year, NTG completed over 4,000 shipments across dozens of lanes, with an overall on-time percentage of 95%. Additionally, customer service as well as response time were dramatically increased; not to mention, improved satisfaction across the DC, warehouse, and store shipping teams.

Adds Brad Voelpel, Director, Global Transportation at Crate & Barrel, “At Crate & Barrel, my domestic transportation team struggled with customer service, responsiveness, shipment visibility and on-time delivery performance with our carriers moving product to our stores and x-docks. We approached NTG with our pain points and challenges and were assured we would see immediate improvements across the board.  I was skeptical at first; however, after 5 months and moving approximately 55% of our total store/x-dock volume to NTG, I can stand here today saying it has been one of the best moves we have made within our domestic network. The NTG team’s entire focus is on customer service, providing visibility on every single move while ensuring we remain competitive in the marketplace. We have moved the needle around on-time delivery performance into the stores and x-docks. We were historically hitting mid 80’s from an OTD perspective and are now hitting 95%+ OTD week in and week out.  Needless to say, my internal customers – the stores & cross-docks are extremely happy, which makes my job much easier. NTG is a machine!”

The SDCE 100 spotlights successful and innovative projects that deliver bottom-line value to small, medium and large enterprises across the range of supply chain functions. These projects can serve as a map for supply chain executives looking for new opportunities to drive improvement in their own operations. These projects also show how supply chain solution and service providers help their customers prepare their supply chains for success.